


Your Soft Voice

by Akirayuyuya



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Comedy, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-03
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-07 09:49:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4258809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akirayuyuya/pseuds/Akirayuyuya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It became a natural thing for both of them. Every time Xiumin wanted to tell him something, Luhan will lean closer. He needed to do this to hear his soft voice. It was so soft as if it was a whisper. Too soft for a guy his age, but Luhan loves hearing Xiumin's voice. He love the way Xiumin tells him everything with that lovely voice of his. He love it. He love him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Whisper

It has been three short yet busy days since EXO-M's official debut in China. All of them were excited especially the Chinese members since this meant that they will finally be promoting in their motherland, but for their two Korean members, it was a walk in a foreign ground.

Ever since their arrival, Luhan made it a must to stay by Xiumin's side at all times. Luhan can relate on how hard it is to be in an unfamiliar place where you don't know anything or anyone, not even the language the people speak. Xiumin had always been the quiet type, and not knowing the language of the place only meant that it will drown out Xiumin's voice even more. Even with all the promotions and interviews they have been doing, his best friend only speaks whenever it's absolutely necessary.

Chen and Xiumin both struggled through every interview. Being unable to respond immediately to questions and statements because they had to wait for the translator, certainly, it caused a mental burden to them. As expected, they weren't able to give as much response as they would have wanted, unlike their four other members. 

Due to the language problem, Xiumin developed a certain habit. Whenever he wanted to ask or say something, he will lean close to his best friend and whisper in a very soft tone. Luhan was already used to the soft touch of Xiumin's voice but hearing it in the form of a whisper left him craving for more. It was like a dessert given to him piece by piece, once at a time. He craved to catch every word and every sound of that sweet soft whisper lightly touching his ears, and he felt bliss. Pure bliss.

It was a guilty pleasure. He knew it was wrong. Wrong to feel such bliss while their Korean members struggle through each Chinese word. But he couldn't help feeling grateful about it because the situation gave him the chance to hear those lovely whispers.

Inside the dorms, there was no need to send whispers to each other. All of them converse in Korean while helping exercise Chen's and Xiumin's Chinese. With their oldest being as silent as he already is, they have established an unspoken rule among themselves to keep quiet whenever their oldest talk. With how soft his voice is, it will be no hard feat to drown out his voice through all their talks and noises. It was fine when they're inside the walls of their dorm, but during interviews and promotions where unavoidable noises are present, they can barely hear him through those.

This only lead to the development of Xiumin's habit. He whispered more, talked more in a hushed tone, asked more with his tiny voice, and depended more to Luhan for his concerns. And without his notice, Luhan too developed a habit of his own.

"Lu-ge! You're so used to Xiumin-ge whispering huh." Chen casually pointed out during the rare time they actually managed to go home early and rest.

Luhan gave him a puzzled expression, completely clueless as to what the younger was trying to say. Chen, seeing the expression on the older's face felt obliged to present an explanation.

"You haven't noticed? Whenever Xiumin-ge wanted to say something, even without looking, you'll lean close to him, then you guys will start whispering to each other." 

"When did I do that?" Luhan asked curiously. It was true, he never noticed such a thing with his behavior. The only thing he knows is that Xiumin tends to whisper a lot more now, compared to when they just got to China.

"Uhm... to every interview? Especially to the most recent ones." Chen answered, raising an eyebrow at Luhan, trying to analyze if his gege was just playing innocent with him. But with Luhan's still puzzled look, Chen just shook his head at the older.

"You guys act like magnets around each other! Xiumin-ge comes close..." Chen motioned with his right hand, "Then Lu-ge comes close..." and he motioned with his left, "Then you just..." and he lightly put his hands together. "Like that."

"Chen. What the hell are you talking about?" Luhan asked, more confused now with the younger's vague and weird explanation.

Chen just gave a look of pity at him but before they could further discuss it, they heard Lay call for them to the table. Luhan wasn't ready to let the topic go just yet, but Chen already escaped him and went straight to eat dinner so he was left no choice but to follow him.

At the dinner table, Luhan sat next to Xiumin, as always, with Chen and Lay facing them and with the two giants on either side of the rectangular table. As soon as he had seated himself, the corner of his eye caught Xiumin leaning closer to him and he unconsciously leaned closer as well. He knew Xiumin wanted to tell him something and he needed to close the distance between them to catch every word he might say and to hear every sound of his soft voice.

"May I come to your room later? I need your help with something." Xiumin said right next to his ear.

They both pulled away from each other and Luhan gave a light nod at his best friend. He then directed his attention back on the table and he caught a glimpse of Chen who was right in front of him. The young Korean member motioned with his left and right hand then silently clapped them together, just like what he did earlier. He then mouthed a quick 'I told you so.' before digging in to his dinner.

That was when realization came to Luhan, everything Chen said earlier suddenly made sense to him now. 'You guys act like magnets...' It was true. As soon as he saw Xiumin leaning towards his direction, it felt natural to meet him halfway. But then again, they are currently in their dorms. No need to whisper to each other. But it looks like the two of them have carried both their habits even in the dorms. Everything just felt natural for them now.

He looked at his best friend seated right next to him and Xiumin met his eyes instantly. Curiosity was visible on Xiumin's face as Luhan just silently stared at him. Wondering what Luhan wanted to say, Xiumin tilted his head slightly, as he always do whenever he was curious with something, leaned close and asked.

"Anything wrong?" he said, right next to Luhan's ear. It sent bells ringing in his head, as it just confirmed everything Chen just said. Quickly, he excused himself from the table and went straight to their room. Dinner had momentarily escaped his mind as it got filled with thoughts of escape and being alone for the moment. 

Consciousness to his own actions lead him to be too aware of Xiumin's voice, so soft, so quiet, so beautiful. His ears suddenly felt numb and his head suddenly throbbed at the sudden rush of blood to his face. Xiumin's whispers. His face heat up at the thought. 'Luhan'. That voice calling out his name. His ears rang, his face heated up and his heart pounded so hard to the point that it was hard to breathe. And Luhan just sat there behind the door, all too confused about all these new feelings suddenly rushing up to him.


	2. Accent

Luhan had lost track of how long he was sitting behind their room's door, pondering over his new found realizations over his best friend, until a couple of light knocks pulled him out of his trance.

 

"Lu. Are you okay?"

 

Even without the introduction, Luhan immediately knew who his visitor was. It was the very same voice that put him into his current confused state which lead him to escape their dinner table.

 

"Can I come in?" the voice followed up after being answered with silence.

 

Luhan was tempted to answer with an "I'm fine. But I want to be alone right now." but judging from the tone of the voice, it sounded quite worried and if he dared answer with something like that, it will no doubt only fuel those unnecessary worries.

 

Hesitantly, he slowly opened the door to reveal himself to the soft spoken member. Xiumin stood there outside the door, with an expression that displayed deep concern. At the sight of Luhan, Xiumin immediately leaned in and placed his right hand on his friend's forehead, trying to get a feel if he got a temperature. Feeling nothing out of the ordinary with Luhan's body heat, he let out a relieved sigh and a comment, "At least you don't have a fever." then smiled sweetly at him.

 

The feel of Xiumin's hand sent electricity coursing through Luhan's skin, he could almost feel his face heating up at the touch, and to make things worse, he felt Xiumin's hot breath and their too-close-of-a-distance didn't help him calm down his heartbeat as he heard that beautiful voice at close range.

 

"I--I'm fine. Just got a bit dizzy. Was probably exhaustion getting to me." Luhan said in a mad rush of words as he struggled not to fumble with his short response. His mind was still racing over the fact that his best friend gives him irregular heartbeats whenever their skin comes in contact with another, or worse, him hearing the smooth soft flow of his quiet voice.

 

"Oh..." Xiumin said in a tone of obvious disappointment. "Then, I guess I'll just ask Tao instead." he continued, trying to hide his earlier unguarded showcase of feelings. Luhan didn't fail to catch that split second of disappointment in Xiumin's voice, and although he still couldn't figure out the reason for those weird heart fluttering feelings his best friend gives him, he's at least sure that he wanted to spend some time talking with Xiumin rather than waste it on over thinking.

 

"No. Wait!" he said as he grabbed Xiumin's wrist when he was about to turn heel to leave Luhan's room.

 

"It's fine. I'm okay now. Plus, I already agreed to it earlier." Luhan said, desperate to keep Xiumin within his space.

 

Xiumin smiled sweetly at him, his lips stretching across his face and displaying how thin they are for a guy. Luhan felt his heart leap and had to grip the knob tighter to get a hold of himself as he opened the door wide to let him in.

 

After entering the room, Xiumin sat comfortably on Lay's bed, while Luhan, trying to hide his disappointment that Xiumin didn't sit on his bed, slowly made his way to settle on his own bed. Everyone in the group knows that Luhan hates it when other people invade his bed, so it's completely logical that Xiumin chose to sit on his roommate's bed. The weird thing was his sudden desire to pull Xiumin off Lay's bed so they can both sit on his own.

 

When they had both settled comfortably, Xiumin started asking Luhan how to say words and phrases in Chinese. This wasn't the first time Xiumin had asked for his help over such things. He and Chen were both enthusiastic over understanding the language of the country, and often seek the help of their Chinese co members. Xiumin, in particular, had always asked for Luhan's help with his Chinese, resulting in an accent no different from Luhan's.

 

They talked away just like that, but with the time stretching, Luhan grew uncomfortable with the distance. He wanted to be closer to Xiumin. To hear that voice at the closest possible distance. To catch every sound of it. And as Xiumin mispronounced one of the words he was struggling with, Luhan stood up and sat down right next to the Korean member, then carefully correcting him by softly repeating how the word should be pronounced. As his best friend copied exactly how Luhan said it, coupled with the Beijing accent Luhan's Chinese was equipped with, the words flowed out of Xiumin in the most attractive way Luhan had ever heard.

 

After that, Luhan had come to love the way Xiumin copied even his accent. It sounds so sweet and endearing in such a way he couldn't explain. Plus, he sounded so cute while paying close attention to the small details about his pronunciation. Out of both their notice, the initial distance they had between them was completely gone by the time they had finished.

 

Luhan wanted to talk more. To hear more of his cute way of mimicking his words. To listen more to his beautiful soft voice. And as Xiumin was about to stand up and walk out of the room, Luhan almost reached out to him to stop him. If it wasn't for Lay, coming into the room at that moment, he might've really asked Xiumin to stay longer.

 

The younger Chinese came in with a towel wrapped around his waist and another towel on his head, drying his dark brown curls after a refreshing bath after a tiring day.

 

"Oh. You two were talking?" Lay said in mild surprise as he failed to notice Xiumin as he came in because he was busy drying his hair. 

 

"Don't worry. We're done." Xiumin casually answered the younger member. He gave a light wave towards Luhan's direction then flashed his pretty smile before finally exiting the room.

 

Luhan stood up to move back on his bed, to give Lay the space on his bed.

 

"Chinese lessons?" Lay asked Luhan as he sat down on his bed, now done with dry wiping his hair.

 

"Yeah. He was asking about some phrases and stuff." Luhan answered.

 

While talking with Lay, Luhan noticed that his heartbeat was returning to normal. It was completely different than the heart fluttering feels he get from talking with Xiumin. Plus, he didn't find Lay's accent as endearing and sweet. 'Is it because it's a Changsha accent and not a Beijing one?' he asked himself. But then again, he couldn't find the answer to his own question.

 

Eager to grab some answers to the bunch of questions in his head, he threw one careful question at Lay.

 

"Lay, do you have someone you like listening to?"

 

"Hmm... I guess I like listening to Lu-ge and Chen. You guys have wonderful vocals." Lay politely answered Luhan's out of the blue question.

 

"No. No. That's not what I mean. I mean someone you want to listen to everyday. Someone that makes your heart flutter with just their voice alone. A voice you somehow can't get enough of. Someone like that!" Luhan hastily explained, and by the end of his explanation, he realized that he just revealed a bit too much of what he feels.

 

"Gege. Are you talking about Xiumin-ge?" Lay asked the older.

 

Luhan was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected Lay to throw in that kind of question. True, he had revealed a bit too much about what he feel, but is that enough for Lay to find out who he's talking about?

 

Without giving the older a chance to ask how he came up with that kind of conclusion, Lay quickly got dressed and looked back at Luhan who still have a shocked expression on his face. He smiled at the older Chinese and said "Figure that out yourself, Lu-ge. It will help you realize some stuff.", then quickly made his escape before Luhan could ask him anymore question.

 

"I'll sleep with manager-ge to give you some alone time to think." he said before shutting the room's door.

 

The room's door opened once again and Lay stuck his head inside, "Be quick in that, too. You're way behind, Lu-ge~", then he left for good this time.

 

It just left Luhan more confused than he could ever imagine.


	3. Snore

Luhan swore, if he doesn't figure this out by the end of the day, he'll strangle Chen and Lay for an answer. He's not having another sleepless night just because his younger brothers decided to confuse the hell out of him. This is their entire fault for telling him stuff, and now he's overly conscious of Xiumin, and his voice. They kept on hinting that they know something that he doesn't and that he should figure it out soon.

They were currently in the van on their way to the airport for a recording in Changsha. It will be another busy day and he'll have to survive today without passing out. Despite his heavy eyelids due to sleepiness, the corner of his eyes still caught sight of Xiumin leaning closer to him to whisper something.

"Are you okay?" he said in a tone with obvious worry. His soft voice sent butterflies flying in Luhan's stomach, together with mini electric shocks penetrating him from within.

"Not okay. Didn't get any sleep." he answered sweetly. But he directed a meaningful glare towards Lay's direction, who was sitting in front of them. The younger just smiled at him, showcasing those deep dimples of his. Chen was also peeking at them from the passenger's seat, smiling mischievously at Luhan, again, motioning with his hands and doing a light clap.

"Take a nap in the plane. You look like you're about to pass out." Xiumin told him in the same volume, combing Luhan's bangs and smiling at him.

Luhan responded with a smile and rested his head on Xiumin's shoulder. His best friend didn't mind and let him stay like that until they reached their destination. Luhan would need all the energy he can manage to regain for another busy encounter with the fans waiting for them at the airport.

As suspected, a huge crowd of girls had been waiting for the group's arrival. They were holding banners, gifts, letters, and were screaming their hearts out when the car stopped to discharge the boys.

The boys came out of the car and greeted their fans. The girls were all trying to hand them gifts and letters but if they accept one, the others will also insist that their gift be taken and it will no doubt cause a commotion. Their managers had always reminded them about it, but they couldn't just stand there and walk past them ignoring those heartfelt presents, so they still took some secretly.

Luhan stood protectively behind Xiumin, helping him progress through the thick crowd. With his small build, he becomes an easy target for blocking and pushing and Luhan worries for his safety, so he made it his job to be his guard whenever they're at the airport or anywhere crowded.

After a good few minutes of struggle, the whole group along with their managers finally got past the crowd of screaming fans. Their managers looked at them and saw pockets full of letters and couldn't help but shake their heads over the idols' persistence to accept fan letters. 

While waiting for their flight, the members all gathered to the waiting area. Luhan slumped himself over one chair, totally ready to pass out. He just exerted more energy than he managed to recover during his short rest in the van. He felt tired. So tired. He wanted to stay seated and rest. But he felt a hand pull him so he lifted his head and saw Xiumin.

"We need to line." he told him as he pulled Luhan, urging him to stand up.

"Umin~ I'm tired~" he whined at him and refused to be pulled up.

"I'll lend you my shoulder. Come on, we need to line now." Xiumin said in a soft persuading voice, and this time Luhan allowed himself to be taken.

Luhan threw his arms around Xiumin and back hugged him, then rested his head on his best friend's shoulder. His heart was beating so fast but he didn't care. He wanted to be in this position with Xiumin. He wanted to rest his head against his shoulder and snuggle closer to him. As if tolerating Luhan's actions, Xiumin did no such thing as act awkward with their closeness to each other, instead he brought his hand up to ruffle Luhan's hair, gently stroking it and playing with the strands.

'I can probably sleep like this.' Luhan thought as he nestled his face against Xiumin's neck.

Their cuddling time was interrupted by their manager telling them that it was time to board the plane. They broke off from the hug but still walked next to each other with their hands linked, or because Luhan refusedto let go of Xiumin's hand. Obviously, he'll be the one to sit next to Xiumin in the plane.

Once they were comfortably seated, it didn't take long before Luhan managed to fall asleep. He had no idea what position he got himself into, or how long he was out, all he knows is that he feels too comfortable to stir from his well needed sleep.

When he did wake up, he found his head resting comfortably on Xiumin's shoulder. Judging from the rhythmic breathing he can feel, he'll safely assume that Xiumin is still sleeping. He closed his eyes, enjoying the relaxing moment, when he heard a very soft... snore? It was really soft, and barely audible, but it's definitely a snore.

Carefully, he lifted his head up and watched Xiumin's sleeping face. He almost couldn't suppress a smile when he realized that it was indeed coming from Xiumin. It sounded so cute and relaxing, and of course the owner looked so adorable in his sleep. His body was barely moving with his gentle breathing.

Xiumin's lips were slightly parted, almost as if he was pouting. His lips were small, thin and too pink for a guy, but it just added to how beautiful he looked. 

Luhan loved the sound of Xiumin's soft snores, almost lulling him back to sleep. As he continued to stare at his face, his eyes focused back on Xiumin's lips. They looked so beautiful, so thin, so pink. It looks like it'll be soft, too. Unconsciously, he leaned closer to Xiumin's face. He might've done something crazy if Kris didn't let out a not-so-quiet cough from the other row. Luhan looked at Kris' direction and found him smiling, next to a sleeping Tao.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." he commented, smirking at Luhan before shifting to the other side, clearly telling Luhan that he won't be offering any explanation.

Luhan can pretend to be innocent, or stupid, but he's done being the idiot of the day. He's no fool not to realize anything after what Chen, Lay and Kris has hinted him so far. He knew what he would've done if Kris hadn't interrupted him. And there will only be one explanation why he was having those kinds of thoughts. His face was heating up from embarrassment as he slumped himself in his seat, using both of his hands to cover his beet red face.

'Oh god! Why am I so slow?!' he whispered.


	4. Husky

For the past couple of days, Luhan had been, needless to say, miserable. His habit with whispering with Xiumin was still there, he was still finding a hard time fixing that because even though he's hyper aware of Xiumin right now, he still wanted to hear those lovely whispers. One thing he did find hard was to look directly at the other man's face, because every time he glanced at his best friend he was getting reminded at how stupidly slow he was at realizing his feelings for him. He had been oblivious, too oblivious to the point where even the other members noticed it before him. His naivety led him to assume that his attraction to Xiumin was merely a product of getting too comfortable with a same age friend, only to be proven wrong by his own unconscious action. However comfortable two friends might be, will you really feel the desire to kiss someone's lips? 'Of course not!' a little voice inside his head immediately answered.

 

He lied on his bed, covering his eyes with his forearm as he reminisce his first meeting with Minseok. With a glance, he immediately found him pretty and cute, even presuming that he was someone younger only to be taken aback by the fact that he's actually older than Luhan. Minseok had approached him and greeted him comfortably, even though most of his fellow trainees stayed away from Luhan at first because he was a foreigner. Since day one, they had stick together like glue, mostly Luhan following Minseok around everywhere in his quest to be as close to him as possible. He didn't even stop to think why his attraction to Minseok was quite different from others. All he could think about was how he wanted to be a special existence for him.

 

Now, thinking back on all those occasions, it will be more surprising if the other members didn't find it weird that they were together almost all the time. And yet, he didn't notice or realize a thing after more than a year of being together. 

 

"Damn it!" he cursed as he threw the pillow he was resting on just a few seconds ago. He was getting so damn frustrated at himself for being the stupidest idiot known in history. With things as they are now, he didn't even have the time to have a sexual identity crisis because there's no denying the fact that he loved that soft-spoken member he referred to as his best friend just until recently.

 

With frustration building up in him once more, he proceeded to take out his anger on the poor innocent bedding.

 

While he was in the middle of murdering his blankets, their group's maknae quietly opened the room's door and stuck his head inside, silently finding amusement at Luhan's current state of mind.

 

"Lu-ge. Kri-ge said that if you don't have anything better to do than killing the poor bed, you should go and make yourself useful by taking care of Xiumin-ge."

 

"The hell, Tao! You're in on this, too?!" Luhan exclaimed at the smiling young member. Actually, he didn't even need to get Tao's answer to know that since he's quite sure that even if they don't fully understand, his co-members at least have an idea about his feelings for the oldest member.

 

"Just take care of him. It's just a cold anyway so you don't have to do much. Yixing-ge's already out with the manager to get some cold medicines. Chen-ge's out attending Chinese classes. Kris-ge and I will just go around the shopping district for a while." After finishing what he had to say, Tao went out and shut the door. Almost immediately though, he reopened the door and remarked "Don't jump him just because he's sick, okay?"

 

A pillow was sailing through the air towards Tao as soon as Luhan heard that. But all the hard-thrown pillow managed to do was make a soft thud at the door as their youngest's high-pitched laugh echoed even through the close room.

 

Reluctantly, Luhan dragged his feet out of the room and into Xiumin and Tao's shared room. He quietly opened the door, just to be safe in case the other member was sleeping. Not wanting to focus instantly on the member quietly asleep at the far end of the room, he distracted himself by observing everything that doesn't include a "Xiumin" in it. The room was neat and well organized in general but half or the room was a tad bit more organized than the other half. Of course, that half was Xiumin's part of the room.

 

Thinking that he had avoided Xiumin for far too long, he quietly approached the bed to observe his condition. Maybe because he was trying not to look at Xiumin's face these past couple of days but his face was obviously paler than normal, even his lips looked really pale, those thin, small, pink lips of his. Luhan caught himself. He was staring at Xiumin's lips again. His stupid mind had managed to zero in on that beautiful face upon seeing it within less than a few seconds. 

 

"Snap out of it, Luhan!" he quietly scolded himself.

 

Xiumin had always been a light sleeper but probably due to the cold, he stirred in his sleep far too easily than normal. With heavy eyelids and slightly unfocused vision, he tried to concentrate on the person that had made the noise.

 

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Luhan said in a soft voice. He was being careful not to cause additional stress on Xiumin as he fought the urge to caress his face.

 

"Nah, it's fine." 

 

That took Luhan by surprise. Xiumin's face might've obviously hinted that he was sick but his voice, his usual soft voice was nowhere to be found, instead, his voice came out all husky and low. His heart sank, the sound of Xiumin's sick-laced voice quickly ate him with guilt. He blamed himself for not paying attention to his friend's well-being. He should've tucked his unnecessary frustrations under his arm and focused more on taking care of his co-member.

 

Luhan sat at the side of the bed and lightly placed his hand on Xiumin's forehead. He ignored the tingling sensation it was causing him and focused entirely on taking note of the warm skin under his touch. 'He's still a bit feverish.' he thought to himself as he withdrew his hand.

 

"Did you take your medicine already?" he asked softly, trying his best to stop himself from seeking Xiumin's hand. Xiumin hoisted himself and sat up, resting his back on his pillows.

 

"I've taken... (coughs)..." Whatever he was trying to say was cut short by his continuous cough. At this, Luhan's hand instantly threw itself at Xiumin's back and stroked it lightly, trying to at least ease him up.

 

"Are you okay? Do you want some water?" he inquired after the coughing had calmed down.

 

"I'm just fine, Lu." Xiumin answered, still with the same huskiness as before.

 

His chest felt heavier the more he listens to the unusual sound of his voice. It was stabbing him with pain every time Xiumin tried to speak with difficulty. Unconsciously, he had voiced out his concern before he even had the time to register what he was saying.

 

"Don't get sick like this Minseok. Your voice turns all husky and low and I hate it. I like how soft your voice is, not this."

 

The moment he heard himself, he looked with concern at Xiumin's face. He didn't say anything, he only smiled at Luhan and readjusted himself on the bed. Luhan helped him get to a comfortable position and watched as Xiumin's still sleep induced state yawned softly as he settled back on his pillow.

 

"I should start getting better then." he said in a lazy tone, already fighting the sleepiness away so he can finish talking with Luhan. "Thanks, Lu."

 

"For what?" Luhan said almost whispering, finding amusement at how Xiumin was struggling to stay awake.

 

"For saying... that you... like my voice."

 

"Yes. I like your voice. I love it, and I love you." he said in an almost whisper, but Xiumin was already snoozing away.


	5. Side Story: Call

Kris and Tao slowly made their way to the shopping district, while one or two fans approached them every now and then asking for a handshake, an autograph or a photo. It wasn't like they had anything in particular they wanted to buy, it was just a form of relaxation for them whenever they found the time to go out. They would've asked the other members to come if they weren't busy with their own businesses so in the end it was just the two of them.

 

The two tall men decided to attack the clothes shop first in search for anything and everything that may catch their eye. The moment they came in, they separated and went to different directions, both scanning the place for anything fashionable.

 

Different from how Tao shops, wherein he just looks at the clothes to his liking, Kris shops while looking at everything and thinking which member will fit it best and if he's feeling kind enough, he even buys it for them.

 

That looks like it will look good on Xiumin.

 

That one is totally Chanyeol's style.

 

I think Chen will like that one.

 

That turtleneck will totally fit D.O.

 

and so on...

 

But as he walked on a whole row of neatly stacked white shirts, he stopped dead on his tracks and stared at that one short sleeved collared shirt. It's simple and actually a bit dorky, nothing special about it, but somehow he could imagine Suho wearing it and looking so neat and proper like how he always is. The shirt itself doesn't look anything extra ordinary but he knows that the Korean leader will manage the look well.

 

Unconsciously, he found himself picking it up and checking the size and the price. 'Yeah. This will look perfect on him.' he told himself. 

 

"I think that's a bit small on you, ge."

 

Kris was startled to hear Tao speak next to him because he was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he failed to notice him approach.

 

"I'm not thinking of buying it for myself." he calmly stated, putting the shirt back on the rack. Everyone in the group knows that he looks around and shops with everyone in mind.

 

"Whose it for?" Tao asked as he picked the shirt up again.

 

"I was thinking that it'll look good on Suho." he answered. "But I don't know if he'll be a size small or medium, he's definitely not large." he added.

 

"Why don't we call him then?" Tao suggested, already reaching for his phone.

 

"It's fine. They might be busy, too." Kris said, then turned heel and walked away from the row of white shirts. He really doesn't like to disturb them if ever they are working.

 

"We can still try. I'm dialing now." the younger member said then put the phone next to his ear. "It's ringing. They don't have a schedule then. Suho-hyung always turns his phone off when they have one."

 

Kris turned around and waited with Tao for the other line to pick up.

 

"Hyung!" Tao's voice animated as he suddenly changed from Chinese to Korean as he spoke with the Korean member. Kris couldn't hear what the person on the other line was saying but he could pretty much guess what they are talking about based on Tao's answers.

 

"Everything is fine here." 

 

"Yeah."

 

"Actually, Kris-ge has something to ask you." he said before passing the phone to Kris, who reluctantly took it. After handing the phone to the Chinese leader, he left him to continue scanning the shop.

 

Kris. What's up?

 

Kris noted how excited Suho's voice sounded, or maybe it was just because they haven't spoken with each other for a while. They don't call each other often because they mostly just exchange information about the group. Tao is really the one who's always in touch with the Korean leader.

 

"I was just wondering what your shirt size is." he asked. He mentally cursed himself because he just sounded so lame with that.

 

I'm a medium, but why are you asking this? 

 

He could almost imagine Suho knitting his eyebrows and looking thoroughly confused at the moment. A smile managed to sneak up on his face as Suho's image flashed in his mind.

 

"I kinda saw this dorky shirt that will look good on you." he joked.

 

Haha. Very funny. Sorry if I'm not model material like you are.

 

The response that dripped with sarcasm only made him smile wider. While the other members never failed to bully the Korean leader at any given opportunity, he never failed to retort back at Kris whenever possible. And while he never really fought back when the other members bully him, he always seemed feisty when dealing with his fellow leader and never held back with his words and that made Kris feel like he was treated just a tad bit differently than the others.

 

"You're the good boy type."

 

Yeah. I'm the geeky schoolboy.

 

Kris chuckled at the response. He could see Suho rolling his eyes as he said that, looking totally exasperated.

 

"I'll be the one buying so just shut up and take it." he threw back. He was waiting for Suho's usual sarcastic feisty answers but the other line was quiet. He checked the phone if it got disconnected or something but it was still connected. He waited for a few more seconds.

 

...thank you. 

 

A short almost whisper like response came before the sound of the beeping tone was heard, a clear signal that either the line got accidentally cut off or Suho had ended the call, Kris was betting on the latter. Although he doesn't fully understand why he cut the call short. Kris looked momentarily confused, both at Suho's unusual behavior and his own unexplainable reaction when he heard that soft timid "thank you".

 

He looked back at the plain white shirt and somehow it looked special now, still dorky and plain but special. He shook his head a bit and shrugged off the weird feelings then picked up the hanged shirt. He looked at the size and was glad to find that it was a medium. He walked to the counter to pay for it, thinking if he'll be able to hear Suho say "thank you" again once he receives the shirt. And almost immediately, he found himself smiling at the thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Your Soft Voice was already a completed story in asianfanfics.com. This will be a revised version of the original. I have done my best to improve every chapter. My average word count before was 700-800 words and now this revised version is at 1200-1500 words, sometimes reaching up to 2000. I aim to give you longer chapters and hopefully a longer story. The original version only had XiuHan as its pairing and now I'm going to add a few more couples to the story and they will get side stories and chapters focused on them.


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